Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The World Junior Championship ended last Thursday with the Canadians winning back-to-back gold after beating Czechia in overtime. The Americans collected the bronze after a thrilling 8-7 overtime win against Sweden.
One of the best parts of the world juniors for NHL fans is seeing your favorite team’s top prospects performing on the world stage against the best competition from their age group. So let’s look at the standouts for each Western Conference NHL club.
Anaheim Ducks: Tyson Hinds, D, Canada
Coming into the tournament, Hinds was the most questioned selection on Canada’s back end. But he certainly earned his spot and deserved the gold medal. He was among their ice-time leaders and made some big defensive plays, including a glove save in the crease against Slovakia in a tie game. Hinds boosted his stock at the world juniors, and his ability to do a bit of everything as a three-zone player is a big reason why.
Arizona Coyotes: Logan Cooley, C, USA
Possibly the best player at the world juniors not named Connor Bedard, the American center was a catalyst for offense and the second leading point-getter at the world juniors. Cooley is a dynamic presence who makes everyone around him better. He understands how to generate offense by playing a stable game on his own end of the ice and getting the puck moving in the right direction. Cooley has the skill and dual-threat ability to be a difference-maker at a moment’s notice, and he did that at the World Junior Championship.
Calgary Flames: Topi Ronni, C, Finland
The Flames’ prospects weren’t all that impactful at the world juniors. Stromgren was often the extra forward for the Swedes, and he couldn’t make a significant impact. Topi Ronni played a third-line role for the Finns, which was something, but he wasn’t entirely noticeable at any time. Sometimes, you have players at the world juniors, but they aren’t quite noticeable, and unfortunately, that was the Flames duo.
Chicago Blackhawks: Ethan Del Mastro, D, Canada
Canada needed someone to step up and be their stable presence on the back end, and Del Mastro was up to the task. He played big, important minutes, and he did so admirably. While Clarke and Zellweger received most of the attention, Del Mastro was Canada’s most consistent defender.
Colorado Avalanche: Sean Behrens, D, USA
Behrens had an ‘A’ on his chest and was paired with Luke Hughes for much of the tournament. The University of Denver defender was more than capable of excelling against the best in the world in his age group. Behrens didn’t play at his best offensively but flashed some high-end play with the puck on his stick. Behrens played a big role en route to the bronze.
Dallas Stars: Logan Stankoven, C, Canada
Tied as the second-leading scorer for the Canadians behind Connor Bedard, Stankoven was an excellent compliment to the 2023 draft stud. Stankoven played a hard-working, high-skilled, high-paced game. He thinks the game at an elite level, and despite being the smallest player on his line, Stankoven didn’t shy away from the dirty areas or winning puck battles along the boards. The Stars prospect looked outstanding throughout the tournament.
Edmonton Oilers: Reid Schaefer, W, Canada
The Oilers’ first-rounder from last year’s draft was often the 13th forward or used on the fourth line. He wasn’t a huge impact player and likely had an uphill battle to become one on this roster, but winning a gold medal is always a good thing. He managed one assist through seven games.
Los Angeles Kings: Brandt Clarke, D, Canada
Left off the team last year and in the summer, Clarke came into this tournament with a chip on his shoulder. He started a bit slow, but Clarke improved every game. He showed his elusiveness offensively and some nice defensive tendencies while leading Canadian defenders in scoring. Clarke was fantastic. He also captured gold with Shane Wright and Brennan Othmann, his former Don Mills Flyers teammates, which is a great storyline.
Minnesota Wild: David Spacek, D, Czechia
Paired with Czech captain Stanislav Svozil, the Wild prospect looked quite strong throughout the tournament. Spacek was a deft puck-mover and solid defender. He was tied for second in team scoring with Svozil. The Czech squad needed solid performances from a few unheralded prospects at the tournament if they wanted to perform well, and Spacek certainly filled that role.
Nashville Predators: Ryan Ufko, D, USA
The Preds’ defensive prospect had 10 points at the world juniors, powered by a five-assist game against the Germans. Ufko saw his role grow as the tournament went on and was a big part of the Americans winning bronze. He had some defensive lapses but also showed flashes of skill in his own zone to quickly thwart and turn plays around. He had a solid all-around tournament for the Americans.
San Jose Sharks: Filip Bystedt, C, Sweden
His size and speed played extremely well at the world juniors. The Swedes’ leading scorer came up big in the most crucial moments for his squad, including scoring the tying goal with 21 seconds left in the bronze medal game. He left without a medal, but he should return next year to be one of the tournament’s best players and help lead Sweden to make the top three as a 19-year-old.
Seattle Kraken: Shane Wright, C, Canada
While it may not have been the tournament many expected, Wright captained the Canadians to gold. He scored a massive goal on a beautiful play in the gold medal game. The Canadian captain struggled to produce offensively at 5-on-5, but he set up many chances around the net that went off the heel of a teammate’s stick or were shot wide. Bad luck led to some underwhelming production. But overall, Wright had a decent yet unspectacular tournament ending with a gold medal around his neck.
St Louis Blues: Jimmy Snuggerud, W, USA
The American winger was the ‘Robin’ to Logan Cooley’s ‘Batman,’ and he rode that to third in tournament scoring, just one point behind his partner in crime. Snuggerud was a true dual threat and was a nuisance in the offensive zone, hunting down pucks and pressuring defenders as they attempted to break the puck out. He worked well on the Americans’ top line, helping lead the way offensively en route to winning the bronze.
Vancouver Canucks: Elias Pettersson, D, Sweden
While the Canucks were probably hoping Pettersson’s Swedish teammate Jonathan Lekkerimaki would be their standout, he was lackluster. Pettersson, meanwhile, was quite intelligent throughout the tournament. He had some blunders, such as a late-game icing against the Czechs that may have cost them the tying goal, but Pettersson was effective for the most part when moving the puck up ice. He was a sound defensive presence as well. Although he shares the namesake of a current star, Pettersson is more likely to be a depth piece at the NHL level, playing a steady and solid game.
Vegas Golden Knights: Matyas Sapovaliv, C, Czechia
Czechia needed someone to step up and provide a steady two-way presence for them up front, and Sapovaliv did exactly that. He isn’t the most fleet of foot, but he thinks the game at such a high level. He got to his spots and used his size, reach, and passing ability to push play positively. Sapovaliv is going to carve out a two-way, bottom-six role for the Golden Knights down the road, and Vegas fans got a glimpse of what that could look like at this tournament.
Winnipeg Jets: Chaz Lucius, C, USA
Lucius gave the Americans the secondary scoring they needed at the world juniors. He scored the overtime goal to win the bronze medal and showed that the shoulder injury he came into the tournament with was a thing of the past. He will head back to the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks and should be able to get his season back on track. Lucius showed off his goal-scoring prowess and looked solid down the middle.
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